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September 26, 2012

"That does not look like a Quaker quilt!" This is often heard when encountering quilts made by members of the Religious Society of Friends because there is an expectation that Quakers only made quilts that were plain, using the palette of dove-gray, black, and brown associated with their style of dress.

Detail of "Album Quilt, #1945-35-1". Collection of the Philadelphia Museum

of Art. Photograph by Mary Holton Robare.

Many historical Quaker quilts are "plain", and this block of the "Album Quilt" attributed to Charlotte Gillingham does contain colors we expect to find in a Quaker quilt of the period 1842-1843. However, the embellishments barely hint at the decorativeness of this quilt.

A visit to the Costume & Textile Study Room, Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Costume and Textiles, Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2011 was a wonderful experience. Although the facility is not open to the general public, access is occasionally granted upon submission of a detailed application. Accompanied by research assistant Barbara Garrett and researcher Wallace Fullerton, Mary's visit was conducted as part of an ongoing study project. In addition to a few photographs we included in the immediately preceding post about initials, we wanted to share some further images from this special occasion.

Charlotte Gillingham's "Album Quilt" is one of the most spectacular historical Quaker quilts known to exist. You can learn details about it by searching the "Collections" data base on the Philadephia Museum of Art's web site at http://www.philamuseum.org/. You might also recognize the quilt as the Hancock Album Quilt, 1842-1843 or The Charlotte Gillingham Album Quilt. (Nicoll, 20 and Fox, 45.)

Holton Robare examine a portion of the "Album Quilt, #1945-35-1". Collection of

the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photograph from the collection of Mary Holton Robare.

﻿Charlotte Gillingham was a Hicksite Quaker, as was her fiancee Samuel Padgett Hancock for whom she made the quilt. According to the museum web site mentioned above: "The theological turmoil of the Hicksite-Orthodox separation of 1827 had lessened the asesthetic simplicity or 'plainness' that had been somewhat characteristic of Quaker decorative arts in the eighteenth century." The Hicksite community involved in making and inscribing the blocks of Charlotte's quilt were probably not as strict about plainness as they had been in the past. We must also consider the prevailing tastes of these city-dwellers compared with their rural counterparts.

The Friends who were involved with the "Album Quilt" were wealthy. Many came from merchant families. They had the means and the ability to acquire the finest materials. They also had the leisure time to use these materials at the highest levels of technical accomplishment, creating quilt blocks by piecing, the use of applique and chintz-work, and with lots of embroidery as seen in the following images.

September 9, 2012

We wrote an introductory posting about signature quilts on June 2, 2012. These quilts are tremendously gratifying for researchers seeking to understand quilts in historical context. As signatures on quilt blocks are deciphered and interpreted, indentifications of individuals and entire communities become possible.

Sometimes, though, an identity is represented simply by a set of initials. In addition to signatures, Quakers (like everyone else) embroidered, stamped, and inked initials onto quilts and other household items. When we find initials on a quilt -- particularly on a corner or the back -- they might be a laundry mark. More often, we see them on blocks of signature quilts, denoting a block's maker or conferring sentiment toward a quilt recipient. In either case, they deserve a closer look.

There were practical reasons for initialing textiles. In the days when laundry was sent out for washing, numbers and initials helped ensure items were returned to their proper owners. The initialing of one's textile items was integral to the running of a proper household.

Bear in mind that married women combined their initials with those of their husbands in different orders. Susan Talbott was a Quaker weaver who lived in Waterford, Virginia, following her 1812 marriage to Isaac Walker. She marked her linens "ISW", listing her husband's given name initial first, followed by the initial of her own given name, using their shared surname for the last initial.

Other sources suggest different orders were used for linens and other items such as silver (woman's given name, shared surname, man's given name). In that case, Susan's mark would have been "SWI". Some items were marked with both maiden and married names or with the man's given name first. For example, Susan's initials might appear as "ST", "SW", and/or "IWS".

In addition to being an organizational aid, marking possessions with initials was a powerful declaration of a female's existence. In a custom dating back to medieval times, a woman's legal identify was lost when she married. A married couple became one entity (male) in the eyes of the law. There were so few items a woman could own outright and bequeath that marking them to denote ownership was crucial.

Eighteenth and nineteenth century girls (and occasionally boys) learned to stitch letters and numbers at a young age. The sampler seen below was made by eleven-year-old Catharine Frame (1793-1872) of Chester County, Pennsylvania. In addition to several motifs recognized as Quaker, Catharine stitched several sets of initials. Research reveals that those stitched with black thread represented relatives of Catharine's who were dead prior to completion of her sampler.

Knowing that signature quilts made by Friends sometimes contain the names of deceased individuals, it would be interesting to consider if those inscriptions were differentiated by thread color or in some other way, although this has not been observed by the present writer.

Not all sets of initials are difficult to indentify. In a Quaker Album Quilt owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one block was signed in ink "Eliz th W. Parrish". Another block of identical design was signed "E.W.P. for her son Dillwyn Parrish Jr.". In this case, it is reasonable to assume both inscriptions denote the same person, but it is important to consider all possible combinations when encountering initials on historical items, including quilts.

Quaker Album Quilt #1991-36-1, detail. Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Ann Hanna Hambleton

Ann was the mother-in-law of Philena Cooper Hambleton, the subject of Philena's Friendship Quilt: A Quaker Farewell to Ohio, and the great-aunt of Senator Marcus Hanna of Ohio.

American Quilt Study Group

Do you know about the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG)? If not, you should. The purpose of this non-profit organization is to establish, sustain, and promote the highest standards for quilt related studies, to encourage these studies, and to provide opportunities to disseminate the work of both academic and non-academic researchers. Membership in the AQSG entitles one to receive Uncoverings, an annual journal of the research papers presented at AQSG's yearly Seminar, and a quarterly publication titled Blanket Statements containing research papers, notes and queries, as well as AQSG and quilt world news. In addition, an annual directory is provided that lists the names, contact information, and interests of current AQSG members--a valuable networking resource that gives access to approximately 950 fellow quilt enthusiasts. Click on the quilt block above to visit AQSG's web site and learn how to become a member. The site also provides information about the organization's annual Seminar, its publication opportunities, its Quilt Study program, and the Technical Guides and other publications available to members and the general public. AQSG is also on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Quilt-Study-Group/149056808116.

Quaker Quilts: Snapshots from an Exhibition

This pamphlet by Mary Holton Robare contains photographic and informational snapshots of quilts that were displayed in a three-day exhibit of Quaker Quilts held at Abram's Delight Museum in Winchester, Virginia, in 2014. The exhibit featured twenty-six quilts made between ca. 1840 and 2007. Click on the image to learn more about it.

Quilts and Quaker Heritage

Mary Holton Robare's book on selected quilts from an exhibition at the Virginia Quilt Museum in 2008. Click on the book to order and search by title.

Philena's Friendship Quilt: A Quaker Farewell to Ohio

In this 4th publication of the Ohio Quilt Series published by Ohio University Press, Lynda Salter Chenoweth presents the story of Philena Cooper Hambleton and the quilt made for her in Ohio in 1853 to take with her when she migrated to Iowa. To order, click on the book and then search by title.

Neighbors and Friends: Quakers in Community

Lynda Salter Chenoweth's second book based on her research into Philena's quilt tells the stories of those whose names appear on the quilt and places their lives in context. To order, click on the book and then search by title.

When This You See Remember Me

Also of interest by Mary Holton Robare. Schoolgirl Samplers of Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia. To order, click on the book, click "Store", then "Softcover Books" and search on title.

Followers

Copyright

(c) 2011-2017 Lynda Salter Chenoweth and Mary Holton Robare. Absolutely no reproduction or distribution permitted beyond one copy for personal study. For additional permissions regarding text please e-mail lchen@saber.net. All images are reproduced with permission of copyright holders. Any commercial or online use is strictly forbidden.

Lynda Salter Chenoweth

Mary Holton Robare

About Us

Lynda and Mary are quilt historians experienced in researching and publishing information about quilts made by members of the Religious Society of Friends. Their particular interest is in 19th century inscribed quilts that document Quaker families and their communities.
Lynda lives in Sonoma,California, and is a writer, a quilter, a researcher, and a member of the Board of the American Quilt Study Group. Mary lives in Winchester, Virginia, and is a writer, a researcher, and a choreographer and dance instructor.